Construction set

ABSTRACT

A TOY MODULAR CONSTRUCTION SET IS DISCLOSED HAVING PLURALITY OF INFLATABLE ELONGATED ELEMENTS OF A PLASTIC MATERIAL THAT ARE INTERCONNECTABLE AT THEIR ENDS BY FASTENERS TO ENABLE THE ELEMENTS TO BE ASSEMBLED INTO STRUCTURES OF VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS.

Dec. 14, 1971 JONES Er-AL 3,626,634

CONSTRUCTION SET Filed July 22, 1969 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec, 14, 1971 L. T. JONES ETAL 3,626,634

CONSTRUCTION SET Filed July 22, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 United States Patent 3,626,634 CONSTRUCTION SET Lawrence T. Jones, Pacific Palisades, Gerald W. Schmidt,

Woodland Hills, and Jay Smith III, Pacific Palisades,

Califi, assignors to California R & D Center, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Filed July 22, 1969, Ser. No. 843,505 Int. Cl. A63h 33/04 US. Cl. 46-23 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy modular construction set is disclosed having a plurality of inflatable elongated elements of a plastic material that are interconnectable at their ends by fasteners to enable the elements to be assembled into structures of various configurations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention The present invention relates to toys, and more particularly to modular construction sets that utilize structural units that can be interconnected to form an integrated assembly.

(2) Description of the prior art Heretofore various types of modular construction sets have been produced which have received wide acceptance from the consumer public. Typical examples of such construction sets are tinker toys, building blocks, lincoln logs, and other sets where standard sized units, are utilized in assembling various constructions. Although these construction sets have been used extensively, nearly all of these sets have serious shortcomings which severely hamper their utilization. One serious problem encountered is that these sets are usually large and bulky and must be stored in large containers. As a result, a large storage area must be set aside for these sets when they are not in use. Another shortcoming with these prior construction sets is that no individual set can be used by children of all ages. As a general rule, sets are usually restricted to one class; i.e. the construction sets for children of high school age are not as easily adaptable for utilization by preschool children. One reason is that the sharp edges and rigid structure of the building units are too dangerous to be used by pre-school children.

It is also desirable that construction sets be adaptable to different environments; i.e. usable on land or in water. However, most construction sets are not floatable and rerestricted from being used in pools and lakes, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the above mentioned shortcomings by providing a toy modular construction set that is capable of being used safely by children and adults of all ages. The modular construction set comprises a :plurality of inflatable elongated elements of a plastic material that are connectable at their ends by fasteners. These connections enable the elements to be pivota'bly movable with respect to each other and the flexibility of the element ends enable the elements to form integrated structures of various configurations. Each element is inflatable through a self-sealing stem and attached with the clips for securing purposes and are removable when it is desired to deflate the element.

Because the elements are deflatable, they are capable of being stored in a relatively small container.

Another important advantage of the present invention is that this construction set can be used by children of all ages and is made especially safe for pre-school children ice due to its soft plastic material and lightweight construction.

Moreover, since the modular construction set is floatable, it is also capable of being used on the water besides being utilized on land.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single elongated element of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the coupling means located at the ends of the elements;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the second embodiment of the coupling means utilized in the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a plurality of the elongated elements assembled in a structural configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an inflatable element, generally indicated by arrow 10, comprising an elongated body 11 of a vinyl plastic material forming an enclosed chamber therein, The ends of the body 11 are sealingly pressed together to form a pair of flaps 12. An aperture 13 extends through each of the end flaps 12 for receiving a fastener which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Although only a single aperture is shown, a plurality of apertures at each end flap 12 may be formed thereon to accommodate a plurality of fasteners.

A self-sealing stem 14 is formed at the one end of the element 10 and functions as the air valve permitting air, or other gas, to flow into the enclosed chamber thereof. The preferred method of inflating the element 10 is by inserting a straw, or other tubular means (not shown), through the stem 14 and forcing air therethrough, either by mechanical means or by a person blowing through it. The stem 14 is a conventional self-sealing stem which is constructed in such a manner that when the element 10 is completely inflated, the air pressure within the chamber causes the base of the stem 13 to flair outwardly with the outer end of the stern being forced together to adhere and form a seal. Although this seal is suflicient to prevent air leakage therethrough, the stem 14 is doubled over, as shown in FIG. 3, and a U-shaped resilient clip 15 is inserted thereon to ensure against any air leakage.

FIG. 3 also shows a two piece connector plug, generally indicated by arrows 16, being utilized to interconnect the end flaps 12 of a pair of elements 10. Connector plug 16 includes a male member 17 and a female member 18. The male member 17 includes a projection 19 which is adapted to extend through the aligned aper-- tures 13, and a flanged portion 20 which is adapted to lie. flush with the bottom surface of one of the end flaps 12. The female member 18 also includes a projection 21 which is adapted to extend through the aligned apertures 13 with the projection 21 having a recess 22 for receiving the projection 19 of the male member 17. The projection 19 further includes an annular ridge 23 which is adapted to be snapped into and retained by an annular groove 24 formed in the recess 22. The female member 18 further includes a flanged portion 25 adapted to lie flush with the top surface of the other element 10 when the plug 16 is united.

It should be noted that the coupling means of the elongated elements 10 permit the elements 10 to swivel about the coupling axis. It should also be noted that although only two elements 10 are shown being connected, the plug 16 can be elongated to accommodate three od more of such end flaps 12.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention wherein the element end flaps 12 include fastener members integrally secured thereto. The advantage of such a construction is that since the fasteners are integral with the flaps they can not be lost. This is particularly important when such elements are used in water. The fastening means includes a socket member 26 integrally connected to the end flaps 12 of the alternating stacked elements 10 and a stud member 27 integrally attached to the end flaps 12A of the other elements 10. Each stud member 27 includes a first projection 28 that is adapted to be received within a recess 29 formed in each socket member 26. Alternatively each stud member 27 also includes a second projection 30 that is adapted to be inserted within an aperture 31 formed in the base of each socket member 26. In this construction, the fastening means are capable of being stacked, with the number of elements 10 being connected at one point merely depending on the assemblers choice.

FIG. 4 shows a plurality of elongated inflatable elements 10 being interconnected to form a structural configuration. It should be noted that the flexibility of the end flaps 12 along with the capability of pivoting about the coupling axes enables the elements 10 to be universal- 1y coupled to form various planar configurations as well as solid configurations.

As can be seen, an inflatable construction set of the present invention is provided that is lightweight in construction safe for childrens use, easy to assemble, and convenient to store when not in use. Furthermore, since the elements are flotable, they are easily adaptable to any environment. Such a toy can give a child many hours of entertainment, besides being educational in developing various intellectual traits. With such a toy countless types of structural configurations can be designed and assembled with the set also being utilized in making mobiles and sculptures which are pleasing to a childs eyes.

Although two embodiments of the invention have been described, various modifications can be made to the apparatus without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy construction set comprising:

a plurality of inflatable elements, each element having an elongated flexible wall forming an enclosed gas chamber, each element further forming a plurality of extremities; and

means for interconnecting each extremity of each element with extremities of first and second elements, said means comprising a first means for receiving a mating portion of the extremity of the first element and a second means for extending into the receiving means of the second element in order to enable the extremities of three or more elements to be interconnected at one junction.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the first means of each interconnecting means comprises a stud member and the second means of each interconnecting means comprises a mating socket member.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein each of said first and second means are coaxially aligned to enable the interconnected extremities to be stacked one on top of the other.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein each element is of a tubular construction having its ends sealingly pressed together to form a pair of extremities.

5. The invention of claim 1 further including means on each of said inflatable elements for emitting pressurized gas into the enclosed gas chamber of each element.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 5 wherein said means for admitting pressurized gas into each of the enclosed chambers includes a tubular stern formed on said elongated body having an air passageway extending therethrough, said tubular stern being of a resilient material that is capable of being sealed at the outer end thereof by internal pressure from said pressurized chamber.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 6 further including a resilient U-shaped clip that is insertable over said tubular stem to ensure against air leakage therethrough.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,485,577 3/1924 Witten 4687 2,731,768 1/1956 Harrowe 4687 2,792,669 5/1957 Jackson et al. 4690 2,826,000 3/1958 Fischrnan et al. 4687 2,835,596 5/1958 Kaufman 206-INFL. DIG. 3,038,593 6/1962 Rout et al 206INFL. DIG. 3,226,285 12/1965 Lovenko 206-INFL. DIG.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,141,941 1960 Germany.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner D. L. WEINHOLD, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 4690 

